A neigh broke out, scattering with a broken rhythm and a puff of white that briskly rose through the skies. Blending in with the snow scattered around, the horse called away after seeing the dark metal sticking out between the trees they trotted through.

  Happily voicing its excitement as the creature saw the black gates, the man in armor that guided it remained still, unresponsive compared to the animal. Despite that, he steadily looked at the mansion ahead of them, promptly lowering his torso before clinging to the white fur as they sped up even further.

  A few slow breaths fell out as they once again stood right in front of the mansion they had run away from. With concise motions, Lutiel’s body fell down from the horse, taking his feet from the stirrups before compacting the snow beneath.

  Gradually, his metallic fingers traced their cold along Runi’s skin, grasping onto the reins before heading towards the closed gates.

  Within a brisk few steps, he finally grabbed the gates, feeling for them for the first time in quite a while, testing for the strength it upheld.

  Yet, much to the unspoken surprise of the man, a faint push of his allowed them to open, nothing ever restricting his path.

  He walked through slowly, guiding the eager horse before stopping just one step into the area. Glancing through the courtyard, blanketed with snow, it was like staring at a new landscape, not a single footprint or impression left in the space, swiftly making the man’s eyes sweep through the covered mansion.

  ‘It didn’t snow this morning nor last night,’ he wondered to himself, promptly glancing at Runi’s eyes before starting to walk forward. Looking at the doors of the entrance constantly, he halted himself for a moment after the two passed the frozen fountain.

  “Wait here,” the man uttered to the horse, losing grip of the reins and not looking back at the creature anymore. With steady, decisive steps, Lutiel didn’t hesitate to approach the doors, tightly gripping on the handle before opening them, feeling a similar case as with the gates.

  Watching the wood move to the side for a brief period, he abruptly stepped through, despite the snow scattering on the floor as he walked inside.

  Immediately, he was drowned in the silence, not a single noise coming from anywhere. At the same time, he felt no change in temperature. Standing in the middle of the entrance hall, he circled his eyes around the space, not arriving at a conclusion yet.

  ‘I must be wrong,’ he pondered suddenly, quickly settling his sights on the servants’ quarters before walking towards it, on somewhat quicker feet than before.

  Knocking on the first door however, he briskly found no response. Moving onto the next one already, the answers remained the same. Finally, as he got towards Folvana’s room, he hesitated momentarily, only to knock harshly the next breath.

  Once more, silence prevailed through the space, prompting his arm to flinch at the handle, quickly pushing the metal before staring at the insides.

  Nobody was there.

  No, not a single item or possession other than the old furniture was there, making the man freeze in place before stomping and heading right to where Raeyine’s door was.

  Without knocking even once, Lutiel opened it harshly, swiftly letting the empty space ingrain itself within his pupils again.

  In the same breath, he already let go of the handle, turning around before hastily treading through the floor, going at the stairways.

  One after another, he practically ran up the stairs, finally arriving at the top floor of the mansion, Zyponia’s reserved space.

  Slowing down immediately as he stared through, he promptly shut himself, listening in to any noises that might have rumbled through. Alas, a skewed reality presented itself to him, making him glance at the double doors before almost running up to them.

  With a bright grip, he took the handles, pushing the entrance within the room and making them fly off towards the walls surrounding them.

  Soon, his somewhat raised respires lowered themselves, especially after witnessing the eerily vacant state of the room. Most of the furniture was left intact, however, the small pieces and items that filled out the space were nothing but gone.

  Standing in the middle of the room, immured, Lutiel couldn’t help but finally let his shoulders fall, glancing down at the carpet his feet were sunken in whilst breathing slowly.

  ‘It’s empty…’ he mused, gradually raising his dim eyes to gaze through the space one more time. ‘They left without me,’ the man concluded, moving towards the bed before suddenly letting himself fall down on its verge, making the curtains tighten up and almost break away.

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  With clouded eyes, he could only stare ahead of himself, albeit, it wasn’t long before something caught his sight.

  Seeing the four wooden chests decorated with metal sitting hidden beside the furniture, his figure swiftly raised itself again, promptly moving towards the smallest one.

  Quickly opening it, he watched the metallic sphere, lying there calmly on the cushion. Without waiting any longer, he swiftly engulfed his palms around it, feeling the faint lack of strength coursing through him briskly.

  Though, it wasn’t nearly the same as when he did it time after time with Zyponia. This instance, he could effortlessly handle the metal.

  Staring at it breathlessly however, the man sighed out lightly before letting it drop on the box, making the wood shatter away whilst he slowly headed out of the room.

  Lutiel no longer gazed around himself, simply because there was no need to anymore. Lacking any proper light in them, his eyes were set on the stairs, nothing else.

  Not stopping anywhere, the man headed out, his breath once again steaming out from the cold surrounding them.

  Yet, as soon as he stepped out, his figure stopped on its own as his gaze lingered around Runi. Caressing the mane lightly, an armored woman stood upright, with a sword strapped to her right hip.

  Flowing down before shining out their red gleams, the strands never bent beneath the wind, her tongue the same. “I wondered who it was that came here. I didn’t expect it to be you,” she said, still glancing down at the horse with her golden sight.

  However, as Lutiel finally broke his lips apart, she suddenly turned at him. “Where are they?” He spoke with a stiff voice, making the girl stop rubbing the horse’s hair before slowly walking through with the sleek armor on herself.

  “Are you not excited to see your teacher? You win once and now you start to ignore my presence? Is that it?” She spoke after getting closer, five or so steps away. Though lingering with a meek smirk on her face, Lutiel ignored the matter.

  “Please, Folvana,” he muttered finally, in a tone that made the girl swiftly grow a stern mood. Looking through him solemnly, she swiftly replied.

  “They abandoned you. The same way you abandoned us,” she said, glaring into him as their eyes locked.

  “I said I woul-” he briskly started replying, only for the girl to cut in with her tongue.

  “It doesn’t matter. You didn’t come back fast enough. You’ve betrayed our little princess, and that’s the worst you could do to her. There is no going back anymore, Lutiel,” the girl spoke harshly, burrowing her voice within the man and making him stop any of the mouth’s movements.

  Lingering on a deathly silence, he simply stared into her eyes, keeping them there for countless breaths.

  However, he eventually spoke away, bringing about a deep frown on the girl. “It was Tokiren. He works with the revolutionaries.”

  Immediately, as she witnessed his left hand glow, despite wearing the armor, the girl’s brows turned from the furrow. Growing wide, she acted swiftly, albeit, the oath that glimmered away suddenly simmered out, making Lutiel glance down at it.

  “Huu, you…” Folvana muttered out as her breath turned quick. “You’re lucky he’s already dead. We killed him the day after you revealed the news to us,” she said, but the man kept staring at his left wrist, lingering on the dulled oath.

  Then, he made her eyes widen indescribably, unlike any other time he spent with her. “Please, just kill me already,” Lutiel spoke in the magical tongue, promptly raising his head to watch the surprise on her face reverberate.

  Still, budding until she finally breathed out deeply, the girl overturned her intensity to something else. “No,” Folvana briskly denied his request, a fierce grin lingering on her face as she lured his eyes to gaze at her. “I have something better for your punishment.”

  …

  Throughout every spanning field, it reeked. The heavy air, it lingered with something within. An intense, corrosive scent that never left the nostrils after entering. Made from the very same fabric as the clanging reverberating through, it came off from the muddy ground, from the crimson shade its parent carried.

  Whenever they cried out, more of it tainted the wind, overcoming the shallow nippiness. Once again, someone fell, ready to become what they had once been. Their bodies swiftly parted the mud, only to be smeared with it themselves as tens of feet run through their dead corpse.

  Screams hovered through the space, both of pain and valor, never ending. Ruminating through all of them at once, the metallic figures fought against the armors regardless.

  Slamming their swords upon the blades of the enemies, their stern faces grit through the faint slits in the helmets, gnawing at their own teeth as they gave out everything in their arms to slash through the enemy.

  One of the soldiers, sliding his sword along the enemy’s blade, swiftly became free. Watching as the armor with a sun imprinted on its chest suddenly staggered, his stance open, the first soldier leered in.

  “GHHAAAAAAA!!!” Screaming away as he used a great deal of strength to target the man’s shoulder, he watched the weapon drop down while the armor bent under his power.

  Immediately, he was about to follow through, his deeply green eyes staring ahead at the sun-wearing soldier, only to immure in place, utterly frozen.

  Looking at the arms stretched out, as well as the contorted face of the enemy, the man tried to get away as soon as he witnessed the wind churn around the metallic gauntlets. His legs tried their best, alas, he could only see the incoming slash of wind beginning to part through his soft armor.

  Still, as soon as the spell appeared in the space, it disappeared just as quickly. At the same time, the man producing it suddenly staggered, his figure dropping to the ground almost lifelessly. Wriggling around as he tried to get away from the grasp, his shaking head tried to look up, only for it to slam down to the muddy ground.

  “If we see you using magic one more time, we will step in,” all of a sudden, a low voice washed over the armors, stopping some of them whilst giving others an advantage over their opponent.